Why People Become Whistleblowers

Posted on Feb 2, 2015 1:00pm PST

In an ideal world, all companies and other organizations would conduct
business while upholding the strictest standards of ethics and obeying
the letter of the law. Unfortunately, private businesses and even government
agencies sometimes stray from this path. Sometimes, it may take a whistleblower
to uncover the truth and correct any wrongs.
Whistleblowing in San Joseand throughout the country tends to have a negative connotation. However,
experts on employment law have found that most whistleblowers are actually
dedicated workers, not disgruntled employees interested only in personal gain.

To Bring Positive Change in the CompanyThe typical whistleblower is an individual who is keenly interested in
the success of the company. He or she works hard to contribute to the
business and sees him-or herself as having a personal stake in the company's
future. When that individual uncovers misdoings by a co-worker, supervisor,
or an entire department, he or she may choose to expose these problems
in an attempt to improve the company.

To Protect the PublicAnother reason why a person might become a whistleblower is to protect
consumers and the public in general. Often, the misdeeds of businesses and organizationslead to some sort of risk for consumers. For example, a whistleblower might
work for a medical device manufacturing company that has designed a new
metal-on-metal hip implant. The person might uncover clinical evidence
that this particular design has a high rate of early failure and can significantly
increase the risk of heavy metal toxicity in patients. However, this individual
realized that this clinical evidence was never shown to the FDA or to
the public. The person might decide to become a whistleblower because
he or she is concerned for the welfare of patients who use that particular
hip implant.

To Obtain CompensationOne of the perks of being a whistleblower is that if any monetary damages
are recovered as a result, the whistleblower is entitled to a portion
of them. This may be one reason why whistleblowers have such a poor reputation.
However, it's worth noting that most whistleblowers first report problems
to a supervisor or other person at their company. Then, if a cover-up
is attempted or the problem is otherwise left unfixed, the person might
turn to a labor law attorney for help. CA labor code section 1102.5 prohibits
retaliation against whistle blowers. This may afford protection to those
who do come forward.